Mountain GOAT: Romain De Marchi, A History of Hair-Raising Lines, Spines and Airs

Originally published in the 30th Anniversary Issue of SNOWBOARDER Magazine, Mountain GOATS celebrates the most influential snowboarders of the last thirty years (1987-2017), otherwise known as the Greatest Of All Time list. With over 70 men and women riding into the ranks of the Mountain GOATS, check back as we release their bios and celebrated accolades over the course of the next few weeks!

Mountain Goat: Romain De Marchi

Back in the day, a video part had the ability to introduce a rider to the world of professional riding or act as kingmaker and propel them to international superstardom. However, sometimes a rider comes along that shatters that mold and reverses the age-old formula, where their appearance in the film can actually bring acclaim to the movie company, as well as the rider. Romain De Marchi was one of those aforementioned snowboarders.

While many people associate Mack Dawg's early accolades to the likes of JP Walker, Peter Line and Jeremy Jones, the same can be said about Absinthe Films and a Frenchman named Romain De Marchi, along with a slew of European talent that flooded the market in the early 2000s. When Romain first appeared in Absinthe, everyone knew that he had the chops to go big and that he would have a great career in snowboarding, but it was as Romain matured as a rider and started to pull away from the rest of the field that coincidentally, Absinthe became the powerhouse film company at the time.

Thanks to Romain's exploits in movies like Vivid, Pop, Transcendence and many more, he helped Justin Hostynek and crew reinvent the way that snowboard movies were made. Through his badass BC exploits, hair-raising lines, spines, airs and drops in AK and his ability to stand out in any session, be it park, transition or powder, Romain solidified himself as one of the all-time greats through sheer power. His riding is a firework with the fuse lit on both ends, and the explosions come randomly in his riding, and even after a relatively salty breakup with his longtime board sponsor Burton, he wasn't fazed, as he partnered up with fellow Absinthe roster mates JP Solberg and David Carrier Porcheron to start YES. Snowboards, and through that medium, Romain continues his legacy in snowboarding's long history, just as a company owner rather than a full-time rider.